Satellite dish mount device

ABSTRACT

A satellite dish mount device for mounting a dish base plate of a satellite dish thereon. The satellite dish mount device includes a flashing attached to a rooftop. The flashing includes a cable receiving member. A base mount block assembly is integrated to the flashing and includes a block member and a top base plate adaptable to mount the dish base plate thereon. The top base plate includes a plurality of first extruded fins and a plurality of second extruded fins. A cable riser assembly enables a cable coupled to the satellite dish to pass via the cable receiving member through the rooftop. The cable riser assembly provides a drip curve arrangement to the cable above the rooftop and between the satellite dish and the strain relief fitting member thereby providing water proof protection to the cable riser assembly and to the rooftop.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to and is a continuation of nonprovisionalpatent application Ser. No. 15/169587 filed May 31, 2016 and granted onApr. 3, 2018 as U.S. Pat. No. 9,935,356. The disclosure of thatapplication is incorporated herein as if set out in full.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Technical Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates generally to satellite dish mountingdevices, and more particularly to a satellite dish mount device having acable riser assembly to provide a drip curve arrangement to a cablecoupled to a satellite dish for preventing water leakage on the cableand at the roof top and further having an integrated flashing thatprotects the mounting features of the mount from water intrusion throughthe roofing system.

Description of the Related Art

With the recent advances in the field of digital communicationtechnologies satellite dish systems have seen explosive growth over thepast several years. Satellite dish systems are capable of obtaining highquality signals from multiple satellite transmissions. Since thesatellite dish receivers are cost effective and easy to maintain, usersgenerally simply mount satellite dish receivers on roof tops or anyother unobstructed building spaces of residences or commercial buildingsusing dish mounting devices. Dish mounting devices firmly attach thesatellite dishes to roof tops so the dish can create a line of sitecommunication pathway to an overhead satellite, preferably all withoutdamaging the building to which the dish is mounted.

A wide variety of satellite dish mounting devices have been developed.One such device is designed to secure to a shingled roof or a sidewallstructure. This device provides a structure for securing the mountingbase of a satellite dish. Another mounting device provides a supportstand for a small diameter satellite dish supported by a mast. All ofthese conventional mounting devices require them to be connected to aroof rafter utilizing several fastening members which can weaken theroof's substrate over time. Most of the existing satellite dish mountingdevices are mounted in open areas on the structure which are exposed torain. Therefore, proper water leakage prevention methods are essentialfor these mounting devices to prevent rain damage.

Various attempts have been made to remedy the above-mentioned problems.One attempt provides a mounting bracket having several frames formounting a satellite dish on walls and chimneys. The mounting bracketincludes leakage prevention structures. The multiple frames in thebracket increase the overall bulk of the satellite dish mountingassembly.

There is thus a need for a satellite dish mounting device that is smalland compact. Such a needed device would be easily mounted on a roof toprather than on walls or chimneys thereby providing more opportunity tohave a direct line of sight from the dish to the satellite, and possiblyhide the device from view from the ground. Further, such a device wouldbe customizable, to allow it to be mounted on composition roofs.Moreover, such a device would be equipped with a water leakageprevention mechanism to prevent leakage and rain damage. Such a neededdevice would also require fewer fastening members than existing devicesfor installation on the roof top. These and other objectives areaccomplished by the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

To minimize the limitations found in the prior art, and to minimizeother limitations that will be apparent upon the reading of thespecification, the preferred embodiment of the present inventionprovides a satellite dish mount device to mount a dish base plate of asatellite dish thereon. The satellite dish mount device includes aflashing, a base mount block assembly and a cable riser assembly. A topsurface of the flashing includes a plurality of drip diverters and acable receiving member. A bottom surface of the flashing is attached toa roof top of a building. The base mount block assembly is integral tothe top surface of the flashing and includes a top base plate and ablock member. The top base plate includes a top base surface and abottom base surface. The top base plate is designed to mount the dishbase plate of the satellite dish at the extruded top base surface. Thetop base plate includes a plurality of first rafter bolt holes and aplurality of dish holes positioned at the top base surface. The basemount block assembly includes a notch for a course of roofing shingleslocated at the rooftop.

The top base plate includes a plurality of first extruded fins and aplurality of second extruded fins positioned at the bottom base surface.The dish base plate includes a plurality of dish base holes. The blockmember includes a plurality of second rafter bolt holes positioned on atop block surface thereon. The plurality of second extruded fins isdesigned to slide through a groove at the block member thereby engagingthe top base plate with the block member. The base mount block assemblyattaches to the rooftop by inserting a plurality of rafter bolts throughthe plurality of first rafter bolt holes aligned with the plurality ofsecond rafter bolt holes at the block member. The dish base plate of thesatellite dish is engaged with the top base plate utilizing a pluralityof threaded bolts inserted through the plurality of dish holes and theplurality of dish base holes. The base mount block assembly distributesthe weight of the dish base plate of the satellite dish to roofsubstrate on each side of a roof rafter.

The cable riser assembly includes a connecting member and a strainrelief fitting member. The connecting member is attached to the cablereceiving member and the strain relief fitting member is attached to theconnecting member. The strain relief fitting member and the connectingmember receive a cable coupled to the satellite dish and pass the cablevia the cable receiving member to the rooftop. The cable riser assemblyprovides a drip curve arrangement to the cable above the rooftop andbetween the satellite dish and the strain relief fitting member thatdirects water falling over the cable towards the rooftop withoutallowing the water to flow through the cable riser assembly. The dripcurve arrangement prevents water leakage at the rooftop and at the atticof the building. The drip curve arrangement of the cable prevents thecable from becoming a water pathway from the rooftop to a destination.The plurality of drip diverters diverts water falling on the top surfaceof the flashing towards the rooftop thereby preventing water leakage atthe cable riser assembly and to the attic.

The plurality of first extruded fins and the plurality of secondextruded fins distribute the weight of the dish base plate equally overeach side of the roof rafter. In one aspect of the present invention,the base mount block assembly disperses the weight of the satellite dishevenly over the rooftop and then directly to the roof rafter therebyproviding rigidity to the satellite dish mount device without the needto penetrate into the rooftop where there are no roof rafters. Theplurality of first extruded fins and the plurality of second extrudedfins enable the base mount block assembly to attach directly to therooftop.

It is a first objective of the present invention to provide a satellitedish mount device that makes the most of each fastening means to mount adish base plate of a satellite dish over a rooftop thereby increasingthe lifespan of the roofing.

A second objective of the present invention is to provide a satellitedish mount device having a water leakage prevention mechanism to preventleakage and rain damage.

A third objective of the present invention is to provide a satellitedish mount device that is easily mounted on the rooftop rather than onwalls or chimneys thereby providing more opportunity to have a directline of sight from the dish to the satellite.

A fourth objective of the present invention is to provide a fullyretrofit satellite dish mount device that can be mounted on compositionroofs.

A further objective of the present invention is to provide a satellitedish mount device that is small and compact.

A still further objective of the present invention is to provide amounting apparatus that only penetrates the roofing at the structuralpoint of attachment—the rafter—and further utilizes a structural platethat extends the load bearing and outer point attachments by sandwichingthe roof sub straight by way of the outer fins and the rafter bolts.

These and other advantages and features of the present invention aredescribed with specificity so as to make the present inventionunderstandable to one of ordinary skill in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Elements in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale inorder to enhance their clarity and improve understanding of thesevarious elements and embodiments of the invention. Furthermore, elementsthat are known to be common and well understood to those in the industryare not depicted in order to provide a clear view of the variousembodiments of the invention, thus the drawings are generalized in formin the interest of clarity and conciseness.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a satellite dish mount device in useaccording to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the satellite dish mount device,illustrating a cable riser assembly and a base mount block assemblyaccording to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the satellite dish mount device,illustrating a cable connected to the cable riser assembly according tothe preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a flashing of the satellite dish mountdevice according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a bottom base surface of a top baseplate of the satellite dish mount device according to the preferredembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the satellite dish mount device according to thepreferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a front cross sectional view of the satellite dish mountdevice taken along line A-A of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a rear view of the satellite dish mount device according tothe preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of the satellite dish mount deviceaccording to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a side view of the satellite dish mount device according tothe preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11A is a top view of another configuration of the presentinvention, illustrating the satellite dish mount device mounted on aflat tile roof;

FIG. 11B is a side view of another configuration of the satellite dishmount device shown in FIG. 11A; and

FIGS. 12A and 12B are side views of yet another configuration of thepresent invention, illustrating the satellite dish mount device mountedon a standing seam roof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following discussion that addresses a number of embodiments andapplications of the present invention, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown byway of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may bepracticed. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilizedand changes may be made without departing from the scope of the presentinvention.

Various inventive features are described below that can each be usedindependently of one another or in combination with other features.However, any single inventive feature may not address any of theproblems discussed above or only address one of the problems discussedabove. Further, one or more of the problems discussed above may not befully addressed by any of the features described below.

As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include pluralreferents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. “And” as usedherein is interchangeably used with “or” unless expressly statedotherwise. As used herein, the term ‘about” means +/−5% of the recitedparameter. All embodiments of any aspect of the invention can be used incombination, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout thedescription and the claims, the words ‘comprise’, ‘comprising’, and thelike are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to anexclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of“including, but not limited to”. Words using the singular or pluralnumber also include the plural and singular number, respectively.Additionally, the words “herein,” “wherein”, “whereas”, “above,” and“below” and words of similar import, when used in this application,shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particularportions of the application.

The description of embodiments of the disclosure is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed.While the specific embodiments of, and examples for, the disclosure aredescribed herein for illustrative purposes, various equivalentmodifications are possible within the scope of the disclosure, as thoseskilled in the relevant art will recognize.

Referring first to FIGS. 1-12B, a satellite dish mount device formounting a satellite dish according to the present invention isillustrated in different views and generally designated by the referencenumeral 10. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the satellite dish mount device10 includes a flashing 12, a base mount block assembly 14 and a cableriser assembly 16. The flashing 12 includes a top surface 36 and abottom surface 50. The bottom surface 50 of the flashing 12 is attachedto a roof top 38 of a building. The top surface 36 includes a pluralityof drip diverters 18 and a cable receiving member 20. The base mountblock assembly 14 is integral to the top surface 36 of the flashing 12and includes a top base plate 56 and a block member 54 (FIGS. 3 and 4).The top base plate 56 includes a top base surface 34 and a bottom basesurface 32 (FIG. 5). The top base plate 56 is designed to mount a dishbase plate 42 of the satellite dish at the top base surface 34. Theextruded top base plate 56 includes a plurality of first rafter boltholes 26 and a plurality of dish holes 24 positioned at the top basesurface 34. The top base plate 56 has an extruded portion that defines anotch 40 for a course of roofing shingles located at the rooftop 38. Theflashing 12 includes a plurality of flashing connecting holes 64 toconnect the flashing 12 to the rooftop 38.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the base mount block assembly 14 has acompact design that helps the assembly 14 to firmly mount the dish baseplate 42 and an elongated rod 22 extending from the dish base plate 42on the extruded top base plate 56. The dish base plate 42 of thesatellite dish includes a plurality of dish base holes 62. The blockmember 54 (FIG. 4) includes a plurality of second rafter bolt holes 60(See FIG. 3) positioned on a top block surface 58 (See FIG. 3) thereon.The base mount block assembly 14 attaches to the rooftop 38 by insertinga plurality of rafter bolts 70 (See FIG. 7) through the plurality offirst rafter bolt holes 26 aligned with the plurality of second rafterbolt holes 60 (See FIG. 3) at the block member 54. The dish base plate42 of the satellite dish is engaged with the top base plate 56 byinserting a plurality of threaded bolts 74 (See FIG. 7) through theplurality of dish holes 24 and the plurality of dish base holes 62. Thebase mount block assembly 14 distributes the weight of the dish baseplate 42 of the satellite dish to roof substrate 72 (See FIG. 7) on eachside of a roof rafter 66 (See FIG. 7). Preferably, the base mount blockassembly 14 is made of aluminum metal and the flashing 12 is made ofpolycarbonate material and the plurality of dish holes 24 are tappedmachine holes adaptable to provide base stabilization of the base mountblock assembly 14.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cable riser assembly 16 includes aconnecting member 44 and a strain relief fitting member 46. Theconnecting member 44 is attached to the cable receiving member 20 andthe strain relief fitting member 46 is attached to the connecting member44. The strain relief fitting member 46 and the connecting member 44receive a cable 48 coupled to the satellite dish and pass the cable 48via the cable receiving member 20 through the rooftop 38. The cableriser assembly 16 provides a drip curve arrangement to the cable 48above the rooftop 38 and between the satellite dish and the strainrelief fitting member 46 that directs water falling over the cable 48towards the rooftop 38 (FIG. 1) without allowing the water to flowthrough the cable riser assembly 16. The drip curve arrangement preventswater leakage at the rooftop 38 (FIG. 1) and at the attic of thebuilding. The drip curve arrangement of the cable 48 prevents cable 48from acting as a water pathway the rooftop 38 to a destination. In oneaspect of the preferred embodiment, the connecting member 44 is attachedto the cable receiving member 20 and to the strain relief fitting member46 utilizing a glue material.

As shown in FIGS. 1-6, the top base plate 56 includes a plurality offirst extruded fins 28 and a plurality of second extruded fins 30positioned at the bottom base surface 32. As shown in FIG. 5, theplurality of first extruded fins 28 and the plurality of second extrudedfins 30 distribute the weight of the dish base plate 42 equally overeach side of the roof rafter 66 (FIG. 7) and the rooftop 38. Theplurality of drip diverters 18 (FIG. 6) diverts water falling on the topsurface 36 of the flashing 12 towards the rooftop 38 thereby preventingwater leakage at the cable riser assembly 16 and to the attic. In oneconfiguration of the present invention, the plurality of drip diverters18 is manufactured through a molding process.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the satellite dish mount device 10taken along line A-A of FIG. 6. In use, the top base plate 56 is engagedwith the block member 54 to create the base mount block assembly 14 bysliding the plurality of second extruded fins 30 through the groove 52at the block member 54 integrated on the flashing 12. Then, theplurality of rafter bolts 70 is inserted through a plurality of centerdish base plate holes 68 (See FIG. 1) of the dish base plate 42 and theplurality of first rafter bolt holes 26 aligned with the plurality ofsecond rafter bolt holes 60 at the block member 54. Thereafter, the dishbase plate 42 of the satellite dish is fully engaged with the top baseplate 56 by inserting the plurality of threaded bolts 74 through theplurality of dish holes 24 and the plurality of dish base holes 62.Finally, the flashing 12 is engaged with the roofing shingles utilizingthe notch 40 at the base mount block assembly 14.

Referring to FIGS. 8-10, the base mount block assembly 14 disperses theweight of the satellite dish evenly over the rooftop 38 and thendirectly to the roof rafter 66 (FIG. 7) thereby providing rigidity tothe satellite dish mount device 10 without the need to penetrate intothe rooftop 38 where there are no roof rafters. The plurality of firstextruded fins 28 and the plurality of second extruded fins 30 enable thebase mount block assembly 14 to attach directly to the rooftop 38. Anadded advantage of the preferred embodiment is that, the satellite dishmount device 10 utilizes a fewer number of roof penetrating fasteningmeans to mount the dish base plate 42 over the rooftop 38 therebyincreasing the lifespan of the roof rafter 66. In one configuration, thesatellite dish mount device 10 is easily mounted on the rooftop 38rather than on walls or chimneys thereby providing more opportunity tohave a direct line of sight from the dish to the satellite. A furtheradvantage is that, the satellite dish mount device 10 is a fullyretrofit product such that the device 10 can be mounted on existingcomposition roofs.

FIGS. 11A and 11B show another configuration of the present invention,illustrating the satellite dish mount device 10 mounted on a flat tileroof 76. The cable riser assembly 16 enables the cable 48 (FIG. 3)coupled to the satellite dish to pass via the cable receiving member 20(FIG. 1) to the flat tile roof 76.

FIGS. 12A and 12B show yet another configuration of the presentinvention, illustrating the satellite dish mount device 10 mounted on astanding seam roof according to the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention. In this configuration, the satellite dish mount device 10utilizes a mounting means, for example, S-5 78 clips to mount thesatellite dish mount device 10 on the standing seam roof.

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention has been presented for the purpose of illustration anddescription. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations are possible in light of the above teachings. It is intendedthat the scope of the present invention not be limited by this detaileddescription, but by the claims and the equivalents to the claimsappended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A satellite dish mount for firmly attaching asatellite dish to a roof top and providing a point of entry for a cable,the dish mount comprising: a flashing attached to a rooftop, theflashing comprising a cable receiving member for receiving and passing acable through the rooftop; a base mount block assembly integrated to theflashing and including a block member and a top base plate adaptable tomount a dish base plate of a satellite dish thereon, the top base plateincluding a plurality of fins, a portion of which being designed toslide through a groove at the block member thereby engaging the top baseplate with the block member preventing vertical movement of the top baseplate relative to the block member; and a cable riser assembly having astrain relief fitting member and a connecting member, the cable riserassembly enabling the cable to pass therethrough, and further providinga drip curve arrangement to the cable providing water proof protectionto the cable riser assembly and to the rooftop.
 2. The satellite dishmount device of claim 1 wherein the drip curve arrangement of the cabledirects water falling over the cable towards the rooftop withoutallowing the water to flow through the cable riser assembly.
 3. Thesatellite dish mount device of claim 1 wherein a portion of theplurality of fins are positioned at a bottom base surface of the topbase plate.
 4. The satellite dish mount device of claim 1 wherein aportion of the plurality of fins are designed to slide through a grooveat the block member thereby engaging the top base plate with the blockmember.
 5. The satellite dish mount device of claim 1 wherein theconnecting member is attached to the cable receiving member and thestrain relief fitting member is attached to the connecting member. 6.The satellite dish mount device of claim 1 wherein the base mount blockassembly equally distributes the weight of the dish base plate of thesatellite dish to the rooftop.
 7. The satellite dish mount device ofclaim 1 wherein the flashing includes a bottom surface attached to therooftop and a top surface includes the cable receiving member, the basemount block assembly and a plurality of drip diverters.
 8. The satellitedish mount device of claim 7 wherein the plurality of drip divertersdiverts water falling at the top surface of the flashing towards therooftop thereby preventing water leakage at the cable riser assembly andinto a structure.
 9. The satellite dish mount device of claim 1 whereinthe flashing includes a plurality of flashing connecting holes adaptableto connect the flashing to the rooftop.
 10. The satellite dish mountdevice of claim 1 wherein the top base plate includes a plurality offirst rafter bolt holes and a plurality of dish holes positioned at atop base surface thereon.
 11. The satellite dish mount device of claim 1wherein the block member includes a plurality of second rafter boltholes positioned on a top block surface thereon.
 12. The satellite dishmount device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of fins are adaptable todistribute the weight of the dish base plate equally over each side ofat least one roof rafter at the rooftop.
 13. The satellite dish mountdevice of claim 1 wherein the dish base plate of the satellite dish isengaged with the top base plate utilizing a plurality of threaded boltsinserted through the plurality of dish holes and a plurality of dishbase holes at the dish base plate.
 14. The satellite dish mount deviceof claim 1 wherein the base mount block assembly attaches to the rooftopby inserting a plurality of rafter bolts through the plurality of firstrafter bolt holes aligned with the plurality of second rafter bolt holesat the block member.
 15. The satellite dish mount device of claim 1wherein the top base plate has an extruded portion that defines a notchfor a course of roofing shingles located at the rooftop.
 16. A satellitedish mount for firmly attaching a satellite dish to a roof top andproviding a point of entry for a cable, the dish mount comprising: aflashing attached to a rooftop, the flashing comprising a plurality ofdrip diverters and a cable receiving member for receiving and passing acable through the rooftop; a base mount block assembly integrated to thetop surface of the flashing and including a block member and a top baseplate adaptable to mount a dish base plate of a satellite dish thereon,the top base plate including a plurality of fins, a portion of whichbeing designed to slide through a groove at the block member therebyengaging the top base plate with the block member preventing verticalmovement of the top base plate relative to the block member; and a cableriser assembly having a strain relief fitting member and a connectingmember, the cable riser assembly enabling the cable to passtherethrough, and further providing a drip curve arrangement to thecable providing water proof protection to the cable riser assembly andto the rooftop. whereby the cable riser assembly provides water proofprotection to the cable riser assembly and the rooftop.
 17. Thesatellite dish mount device of claim 16 wherein the base mount blockassembly distributes the weight of the dish base plate of the satellitedish to the rooftop.
 18. The satellite dish mount device of claim 16wherein the plurality of fins are positioned at a bottom base surfacethereon.
 19. The satellite dish mount device of claim 16 wherein theflashing includes a bottom surface attached to the rooftop and a topsurface includes the cable receiving member, the base mount blockassembly and a plurality of drip diverters.
 20. The satellite dish mountdevice of claim 19 wherein the plurality of drip diverters diverts waterfalling at the top surface of the flashing towards the rooftop therebypreventing water leakage at the cable riser assembly and into astructure.